Dancehouse Theatre

Manchester, England

10 Oxford Road

, Manchester, England, United Kingdom M1 5QA

(map)

+44.0.161.237.9753

Status:	Open
Screens:	Twin
Style:	Art Deco

Function:	Live Theatre
Seats:	430
Chain:	Independent

Architect:	Unknown
Firm:	Pendleton & Dickson

Recent view of the Dancehouse Theatre's excellent interior (April 2002)

Photo courtesy of Ian Grundy

The Dancehouse Theatre orignally opened as the Twin Regal Kinemas on 20th September 1930. The cinemas, which had separate entrances and foyers, were on the second floor and shared a single projection room. Neither had a balcony and each seated 800.

Although it's common place now, these two cinemas often presented the same film albeit at different times. Each had a barrel vaulted ceiling and elaborate Art Deco plasterwork down the side walls depicting folds of cloth.

In 1960, they were bought by the Star Cinemas group and renamed Romulus and Remus which lasted just two years before they became known as Studios 1 & 2.

In 1972 sub-division took place and they became Studios 1-5. Ian Grundy recalls, "I believe that only the former Studio 1 was split leaving Studio 2 intact -- but this is unconfirmed."

Star Cinemas chain was bought by the Cannon Group late in 1985 and, as happened elsewhere in the country, they were quickly closed, the last films being screened September 25, 1986.

They were left shuttered until Manchester gained the European City of Drama in 1992 and the need for more middle scale live theater space identified the closed Studios as ideal for conversion.

So the Dancehouse Theatre was born using one of the auditoria as the theater -- and very attractive it is too in its restored state, whilst the other is now rehearsal and studio space for the Northern Ballet School which now shares the premises.

Here, too, the surviving plasterwork has been restored. The former Twin Regal Kinemas are a Grade II Listed building.

Related Websites

The Dancehouse (Official)

Contributed by Ian Grundy

YOUR COMMENTS

i remember this cinema when i was a student and we used to miss lectures and watch movies for only 50p per ticket, the big screen was one of the complete original screens with allthe plasterwork and the original seats which were very hard and you had to move around a lot to find two next to each other that wernt broken, the proscenium dated from the 60's and had multicoloured metal star lights around it, screen 2 was fairly big and had a 70's ceiling and curtained walls, it had a crazy 60's oil lamp projector on the screen inbetween shows which gave a real hippy feel to the place, sc 4 and 5 were tiny boxes with bright blue seats and the curtains had rotted away so there was only the metal tabs that swung into place if it was a scope film, the remaining screen was one i didnt visit (honest) it showed continuous soft porn and there were always lots of dirty old trouser fumblers hanging round the door having a fag (ahh the days of smoking cinemas)
it closed when then owners Cannon opened a new mulitplex across town at Salford Quays 9the second in the UK) which has since closed itself, victim of the many new megaplex's that surround manchester
i really missed this place as it was right by the university and very handy, it sat vacant for years until it became the dancehouse and its now rather posh and in some ways lost its charm
NB the cafe next door has the same zingy art deco plasterwork on its ceiling

posted by woody on Feb 13, 2004 at 8:31am

Woody Darling,
Your story was wonderful, but when you write that there were dirty old trouser fumblers hanging round the door having a fag it can mean something completely different in American English for those that dont understand the true meaning of the word fag. Be careful with that phrase.

posted by Divinity on Oct 20, 2004 at 11:08pm

As an American, rest assured that we're far enough along nowadays that we know that term has multiple meanings, just as it probably does throughout the British Isles too these days.

posted by TheaterBuff1 on Dec 7, 2005 at 5:53pm

Exterior photo here - after closing but before the canopy and name were altered:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/214259529/

posted by Ian on Aug 13, 2006 at 10:04pm

Listed in the Kine Yearbook;1934 edition as the Twin Regal Kinemas with a seating capacity given as 1,600. The stage was 6 feet deep, there were 4 dressing rooms and a cafe attached. Maybe only one of the auditoriums had the stage and dressing room facilities?

By the time the 1954 edition of Kine Yearbook was published, all the above details remained the same (including the name Twin Regal Kinemas) but the seating capacity had been slightly reduced to 1,526.

posted by KenRoe on Sep 14, 2006 at 8:31am

The architects for the Twin Regal Kinemas were Pendleton & Dickenson. Reports state it was equipped with a Mustel organ.

posted by KenRoe on Sep 14, 2006 at 8:39am

A couple more interior photo's here:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/518053851/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/518053857/

posted by Ian on May 29, 2007 at 3:57am

photos from sept 2009
exterior (possibly finally fitting a proper marquee)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/3970101194/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/3970102746/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/3970118986/
side and rear
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/3970107278/
interior of on of the shop units showing the remaining lobby ceiling plasterwork
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/3969332325/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/3970105384/in/photostream/

posted by woody on Sep 30, 2009 at 3:36pm

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